Distance
by melry
Summary: After witnessing Yato kill someone, Yukine starts to act distant around him.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: After witnessing Yato kill someone, Yukine starts to act distant around him.**

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Yukine asked, "Don't you ever get tired of doing these jobs?"

"Of course not," Yato answered. "These people asked me for help. What kind of god would I be if I rejected their pleas?"

"I never knew people asked a god to clean their toilet."

"Well, you know now," Yato said gruffly, then he went back to scrubbing the insides of the toilet he was trying to clean with a brush.

Yukine just watched him and sighed.

Yukine knew that there was a reason other than money that Yato was doing these jobs. Five yen for each job was hardly useful to make a good living. Yato wanted to get more people to believe in him, and the jobs did just that, though the clients would forget him eventually, and he would have to accept more jobs.

Yukine wondered if Yato would keep doing that forever. For a normal human, it's acceptable to make a living out of jobs like these, but for gods, it's probably frustrating.

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Yukine smiled at the small shrine Hiyori made. It was small and looked more like it was a shrine made for toy dolls, but at least Yato had a shrine. He turned to looked at Yato and see his reaction, and he was shocked to see Yato actually crying. The proud and arrogant Yato was crying.

Yukine couldn't believe his eyes. He never saw Yato cry for real before. Was a shrine that important to Yato?

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Meeting another regalia was foreign to Yukine, even if he was a regalia himself. Maybe it was because he didn't have that many memories yet. But he had gotten along with most regalia he met so far, but there was one regalia that bothered him, and that regalia was Nora. He was initially wary of her because her existence meant that Yato had other regalia other than him. Yukine didn't know why it bothered him so much. So what if Yato had other regalia? It wasn't like Yukine wanted to become his regalia in the first place.

Yukine bit his lip as he thought about it. Now that he thought about it, he never saw Yato use Nora in battle before, and why was Yato so reluctant to use her or even talk to her?

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One day, Yato had left in the middle of the night after receiving a phone call. Yukine assumed it was a job, but Yato said it wasn't and told him to go back to sleep. Yukine narrowed his eyes and watched as Yato left. There was something off about Yato's answer that bothered Yukine.

Instead of heading back to sleep, he waited until he made sure Yato was a good distance away outside before getting up and silently following him. Fortunately, Yato didn't teleport this time, so Yukine was able to follow him while sneaking in the shadows.

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He saw Yato meet with Nora, which surprised Yukine.

What was going on?

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Someone let out a scream.

A man was murdered in his sleep.

Then a certain god left the scene.

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"So that's...what you use Nora for."

Yukine said the words quietly as he approached the dead body on the ground. There were no wounds visible, but Yukine was certain that Yato killed him using Nora. Yukine saw it from afar.

Yato was a murderer, and apparently he still was.

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That night, Yukine managed to return to sleep in his futon before Yato returned. Yukine couldn't sleep, not after witnessing what he just witnessed. Minutes later, he heard light footsteps, and he knew that Yato had come back.

Yukine closed his eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: After witnessing Yato kill someone, Yukine starts to act distant around him.**

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Yukine blearily opened his eyes. He didn't think he would be able to fall asleep, but he did. He sat up, the blanket sliding off of him. He looked around and noticed that Yato was missing. He probably got up earlier and searched for breakfast. Yukine felt his heartbeat quicken as he thought about the night before. He was distraught. He was against the concept of killing anyone, and yet Yato, his master and god apparently had not just done that, but is still doing it.

Yato never forced Yukine to kill someone - though he almost did - and he supposed he should be grateful for that, but that didn't mean he had to be okay with Yato killing others, whether Yukine was involved or not.

After what happened, Yukine didn't think he could look at Yato the same way anymore. There was a difference between hearing about Yato being a murderer than actually witnessing him doing the killing. A large one.

"Hey, Yukine, are you up yet?"

That questions brought Yukine out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

Yato walked into the room. "Oh, you are. Good. I just got a call for a new job. We're heading out! Let's go!"

Yukine stared at Yato. The god was acting so cheerful, as if he hadn't just killed a person in cold blood the day before. Yukine's hands unconsciously folded into fists.

Yato seemed to have noticed that. "Yukine?"

In any case, Yukine needed to clear his thoughts and keep himself calm. It would be no good if Yato found out that Yukine followed him yesterday night when he was supposed to be sleeping.

"It's nothing," Yukine lied with a sigh. "I'm just tired, but I'm ready to leave, so let's go." Then Yukine remembered that he was still in his pajamas. "Wait, I'm going to get dressed first."

"Fine, but hurry up, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yukine drawled tiredly.

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"We're going to help clean a bathroom again," Yato said. He prepared himself for the complaint from Yukine.

But it never came. Yukine just followed Yato quietly, and Yato looked at him quizzically.

Yato knew about Yukine quite well. He did see his memories when he first turned Yukine into a weapon. And it had been months since Yukine became his regalia, so he knew that there was something off about Yukine lately. Yukine would always used to complain a lot to Yato, but to Yato's surprise, Yukine hardly did so. Instead, he went quiet, not speaking to Yato unless Yato asked him something.

Yato hated complaints, but it was so unusual for Yukine to not whine about how a god was doing odd jobs and stuff. He couldn't help but feel a little worried.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: After witnessing Yato kill someone, Yukine starts to act distant around him.**

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Days passed.

"We have another job. This time it's at a construction site."

Yukine nodded silently, and Yato couldn't take it anymore. Yato asked heatedly, "What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird lately."

"Does it matter?" Yukine asked, "I'm not stinging you, am I?"

"No, you aren't, but you've been acting fishy, and I want to know why." Yato was frustrated that there was something wrong with his regalia, and he didn't know what.

Yukine frowned. He might as well say it now. "I saw you."

Yato was confused. "Saw me?"

"Yeah, I saw you kill that man with Nora."

Yato's eyes widened, and then he narrowed them. "You followed me."

"So what? You never told me that you were still killing people for jobs!"

"I told you already. A job is a job, not matter what it is, and I'm going to complete it no matter what."

"Even if it includes murdering people in cold blood?" Yukine could deal with Yato being a murderer in the past, but in the present? The future? "What about me? Are you going to make me kill anyone?"

"I...That was going to be the last time."

Now Yukine was confused. "Last time for what?"

"I told Nora already that I was quitting killing others just because someone wished for it," Yato explained.

Yukine didn't expect Yato to say that. "What made you want to stop?"

"You and Hiyori."

"Huh?"

"I know you two were against killing, and I felt guilty doing that secretly without either of you knowing, so I decided to stop."

Yato's expression was completely serious, and Yukine didn't see a single lie in it.

Yukine asked quietly, "So...you promise that you'll stop killing anyone?"

"Yes, but that's only for people's wishes. If the situation calls for it, like an emergency or if someone's life in danger, I won't promise that I won't kill anyone."

A moment of silence passed, and Yukine finally answered, "Fair enough, I guess. I could agree to that." Yukine relaxed. "At least now I know that you aren't completely fine with murder."

"I used to be," Yato replied. "Until I met you and Hiyori." The two would never know how much Yato had changed since he met them.

Yukine smiled. "I guess even gods can change, huh?"

Yato grinned. "You got that right."


End file.
